Virtual reality camera

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for creating and rendering multiple-view images. A camera includes an image sensor to receive images, sampling logic to digitize the images and a processor programmed to combine the images based upon a spatial relationship between the images.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a reissue application for U.S. Pat. No.6,552,744, issued from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/938,366,filed on Sep. 26, 1997.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of photography, and moreparticularly to a camera that combines images based on a spatialrelationship between the images.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A panoramic image of a scene has traditionally been created by rotatinga vertical slit camera about an optical center. Using this technique,film at the optical center is continuously exposed to create a widefield of view (e.g., a 360° field of view). Because of their specializeddesign, however, vertical slit cameras are relatively expensive.Further, because the panoramic image is captured in a continuousrotation of the camera, it is difficult to adjust the camera to accountfor changes in the scene, such as lighting or focal depth, as the camerais rotated.

In a more modern technique for creating panoramic images, called “imagestitching”, a scene is photographed from different camera orientationsto obtain a set of discrete images. The discrete images of the scene arethen transferred to a computer which executes application software toblend the discrete images into a panoramic image.

After the panoramic image is created, application software may beexecuted to render user-specified portions of the panoramic image onto adisplay. The effect is to create a virtual environment that can benavigated by a user. Using a mouse, keyboard, headset or other inputdevice, the user can pan about the virtual environment and zoom in orout to view objects of interest.

One disadvantage of existing image stitching techniques is thatphotographed images must be transferred from the camera to the computerbefore they can be stitched together to create a navigable panoramicimage. For example, with a conventional exposed-film camera, film mustbe exposed, developed, printed and digitized (e.g., using a digitalscanner) to obtain a set of images that can be stitched into a panoramicimage. In a digital camera, the process is less cumbersome, but imagesmust still be transferred to a computer to be stitched into a panoramicview.

Another disadvantage of existing image stitching techniques is that theorientation of the camera used to photograph each discrete image istypically unknown. This makes it more difficult to stitch the discreteimages into a panoramic image because the spatial relationship betweenthe constituent images of the panoramic image are determined, at leastpartly, based on the respective orientations of the camera at which theywere captured. In order to determine the spatial relationship between aset of images that are to be stitched into a panoramic image,application software must be executed to prompt the user for assistance,hunt for common features in the images, or both.

Yet another disadvantage of existing image stitching techniques is thatit is usually not possible to determine whether there are missing viewsin the set of images used to create the panoramic image until after theimages have been transferred to the computer and stitched. Depending onthe subject of the panoramic image, it may be inconvenient or impossibleto recreate the scene necessary to obtain the missing view. Because ofthe difficulty determining whether a complete set of images has beencaptured, images to be combined into a panoramic image are typicallyphotographed with conservative overlap to avoid gaps in the panoramicimage. Because there is more redundancy in the captured images, however,a greater number of images must be obtained to produce the panoramicview. For conventional film cameras, this means that more film must beexposed, developed, printed and scanned to produce a panoramic imagethan if less conservative image overlap were possible. For digitalcameras, more memory must typically be provided to hold the largernumber of images that must be captured than if less conservative imageoverlap were possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and apparatus for creating and rendering multiple-view imagesare disclosed. Images are received on the image sensor of a camera anddigitized by sampling logic in the camera. The digitized images arecombined by a programmed processor in the camera based upon a spatialrelationship between the images.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which likereferences indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a virtual reality (VR) camera.

FIG. 2 illustrates the use of a VR camera to generate a panoramic image.

FIG. 3 illustrates the use of a VR camera to generate a composite imageof a surface.

FIG. 4 illustrates the use of a VR camera to generate an object image.

FIG. 5 illustrates control inputs on a VR camera according

FIG. 6 illustrates the use of a VR camera to overlay a video feed over apreviously recorded scene.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a stereo VR camera.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a method according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a method according to an alternate embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to the present invention, a virtual reality (VR) camera isprovided to create and render panoramic images and other multiple-viewimages. In one embodiment, the VR camera includes a sensor to detect thecamera orientation at which images in a scene are captured. A computerwithin the VR camera combines the images of the scene into a panoramicimage based, at least partly, on the respective camera orientations atwhich the images were captured. A display in the VR camera is used toview the panoramic image. In one embodiment of the present invention,the orientation of the VR camera is used to select which portion of thepanoramic image is displayed so that a user can effectively pan aboutthe panoramic image by changing the orientation of the camera.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a VR camera 12 according to one embodimentof the present invention. VR camera 12 may be either a video camera or astill-image camera and includes an optic 15, an image acquisition unit(IAU) 17, an orientation/position sensor (O/P sensor) 21, one or moreuser input panels 23, a processor 19, a non-volatile program codestorage 24, a memory 25, a non-volatile data storage 26 and a display27.

The optic 15 generally includes an automatically or manually focusedlens and an aperture having a diameter that is adjustable to allow moreor less light to pass. The lens projects a focused image through theaperture and onto an image sensor in the IAU 17. The image sensor istypically a charge-coupled device (CCD) that is sampled by samplinglogic in the IAU 17 to develop a digitized version of the image. Thedigitized image may then be read directly by the processor 19 ortransferred from the IAU 17 to the memory 25 for later access by theprocessor 19. Although a CCD sensor has been described, any type ofimage sensor that can be sampled to generate digitized images may beused without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor 19 fetches andexecutes program code stored in the code storage 24 to implement a logicunit capable of obtaining the image from the IAU 17 (which may includesampling the image sensor), receiving orientation and positioninformation from the O/P sensor 21, receiving input from the one or moreuser input panels 23 and outputting image data to the display 27. Itwill be appreciated that multiple processors, or hard-wired logic mayalternatively be used to perform these functions. The memory 25 isprovided for temporary storage of program variables and image data, andthe non-volatile image storage 26 is provided for more permanent storageof image data. The non-volatile storage 26 may include a removablestorage element, such as a magnetic disk or tape, to allow panoramic andother multiple-view images created using the VR camera 12 to be storedindefinitely.

The O/P sensor 21 is used to detect the orientation and position of theVR camera 12. The orientation of the VR camera 12 (i.e., pitch, yaw androll) may be determined relative to an arbitrary starting orientation orrelative to a fixed reference (e.g., earth's gravitational and magneticfields). For example, an electronic level of the type commonly used invirtual reality headsets can be used to detect camera pitch and roll(rotation about horizontal axes), and an electronic compass can be usedto detect camera yaw (rotation about a vertical axis). As discussedbelow, by recording the orientation of the VR camera 12 at which each ofa set of discrete images is captured, the VR camera 12 can automaticallydetermine the spatial relationship between the discrete images andcombine the images into a panoramic image, planar composite image,object image or any other type of multiple-view image.

Still referring to FIG. 1, when a panoramic image (or othermultiple-view image) is displayed on display 27, changes in cameraorientation are detected via the O/P sensor 21 and interpreted by theprocessor 19 as requests to pan about the panoramic image. Thus, byrotating the VR camera 12 in different directions, a user can viewdifferent portions of the previously generated panoramic image on thedisplay 27. The VR camera's display 27 becomes, in effect, a window intoa virtual environment that has been created in the VR camera 12.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the position of the VRcamera 12 in a three-dimensional (3D) space is determined relative to anarbitrary or absolute reference. This is accomplished, for example, byincluding in the O/P sensor 21 accelerometers or other devices to detecttranslation of VR the camera 12 relative to an arbitrary starting point.As another example, the absolute position of the VR camera 12 may bedetermined including in the O/P sensor 21 a sensor that communicateswith a global positioning system (GPS). GPS is well known to those ofordinary skill in the positioning and tracking arts. As discussed below,the ability to detect translation of the VR camera 12 between imagecapture positions is useful for combining discrete images to produce acomposite image of a surface.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing discussion that the O/P sensor21 need not include both an orientation sensor and a position sensor,depending on the application of the VR camera 12. For example, to createand render a panoramic image, it is usually necessary to change theangular orientation of the VR camera 12 only. Consequently, in oneembodiment of the present invention, the O/P sensor 21 is an orientationsensor only. Other combinations of sensors may be used without departingfrom the scope of the to present invention.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the one or more user input panels 23 may beused to provide user control over such conventional camera functions asfocus and zoom (and, at least in the case of a still camera, aperturesize, shutter speed, etc.). As discussed below, the input panels 23 mayalso be used to receive user requests to pan about or zoom in and out ona panoramic image or other multiple-view image. Further, the inputpanels 23 may be used to receive user requests to set certain imagecapture parameters, including parameters that indicate the type ofcomposite image to be produced, whether certain features are enabled,and so forth. It will be appreciated that focus and other camerasettings may be adjusted using a traditional lens dial instead of aninput panel 23. Similarly, other types of user input devices andtechniques, including, but not limited to, user rotation and translationof the VR camera 12, may be used to receive requests to pan about orzoom in or out on an image.

The display 27 is typically a liquid crystal display (LCD) but may beany type of display that can be included in the VR camera 12, includinga cathode-ray tube display. Further, as discussed below, the display 27may be a stereo display designed to present left and right stereo imagesto the left and right eyes, respectively, of the user.

FIG. 2 illustrates use of the VR camera 12 of FIG. 1 to generate apanoramic image 41. A panoramic image is an image that represents awide-angle view of a scene and is one of a class of images referred toherein as multiple-view images. A multiple-view image is an image orcollection of images that is displayed in user-selected portions.

To create panoramic image 41, a set of discrete images 35 is firstobtained by capturing images of an environment 31 at different cameraorientations. With a still camera, capturing images means takingphotographs. With a video camera, capturing image refers to generatingone or more video frames of each of the discrete images.

For ease of understanding, the environment 31 is depicted in FIG. 2 asbeing an enclosed space but this is not necessary. In order to avoidgaps in the panoramic image, the camera is oriented such that eachcaptured image overlaps the preceding captured image. This is indicatedby the overlapped regions 33. The orientation of the VR camera isdetected via the O/P sensor (e.g., element 21 of FIG. 1) and recordedfor each of the discrete images 35.

In one still-image camera embodiment of the present invention, as theuser pans the camera about the environment 31, the orientation sensor ismonitored by the processor (e.g., element 19 of FIG. 1) to determinewhen the next photograph should be snapped. That is, the VR cameraassists the photographer in determining the camera orientation at whicheach new discrete image 35 is to be snapped by signaling thephotographer (e.g., by turning on a beeper or a light) when region ofoverlap 33 is within a target size. Note that the VR camera may beprogrammed to determine when the region of overlap 33 is within a targetsize not only for camera yaw, but also for camera pitch or roll. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the VR camera may beuser-configured (e.g., via a control panel 23 input) to automaticallysnap a photograph whenever it detects sufficient change in orientation.In both manual and automatic image acquisition modes, the differencebetween camera orientations at which successive photographs are acquiredmay be input by the user or automatically determined by the VR camerabased upon the camera's angle of view and the distance between thecamera and subject.

In a video camera embodiment of the present invention, the orientationsensor may be used to control the rate at which video frames aregenerated so that frames are generated only when the O/P sensorindicates sufficient change in orientation (much like the automaticimage acquisition mode of the still camera discussed above), or videoframes may be generated at standard rates with redundant frames beingcombined or discarded during the stitching process.

As stated above, the overlapping discrete images 35 can be combinedbased on their spatial relationship to form a panoramic image 41.Although the discrete images 35 are shown as being a single row ofimages (indicating that the images were all captured at approximatelysame pitch angle), additional rows of images at higher or lower pitchangles could also have been obtained. Further, because the VR camerawill typically be hand held (although a tripod may be used), a certainamount of angular error is incurred when the scene is recorded. Thisangular error is indicated in FIG. 2 by the slightly different pitch androll orientation of the discrete images 35 relative to one another, andmust be accounted for when the images are combined to form the panoramicimage 41.

After the discrete images 35 have been captured and stored in the memoryof the camera (or at least two of the discrete image have been capturedand stored), program code is executed in the VR camera to combine thediscrete images 35 into the panoramic image 41. This is accomplished bydetermining a spatial relationship between the discrete images 35 basedon the camera orientation information recorded for each image 35, orbased on common features in the overlapping regions of the images 35, orbased on a combination of the two techniques.

One technique for determining a spatial relationship between imagesbased on common features in the images is to “cross-correlate” theimages. Consider, for example, two images having an unknowntranslational offset relative to one another. The images can becross-correlated by “sliding” one image over the other image one step(e.g., one pixel) at a time and generating a cross-correlation value ateach sliding step. Each cross-correlation value is generated byperforming a combination of arithmetic operations on the pixel valueswithin the overlapping regions of the two images. The offset thatcorresponds to the sliding step providing the highest correlation valueis found to be the offset of the two images. Cross-correlation can beapplied to finding offsets in more than one direction or to determineother unknown transformational parameters, such as rotation or scaling.Techniques other than cross-correlation, such as pattern matching, canalso be used to find unknown image offsets and other transformationalparameters.

Based on the spatial relationship between the discrete images 35, theimages 35 are mapped onto respective regions of a smooth surface such asa sphere or cylinder. The regions of overlap 33 are blended in thesurface mapping. Depending on the geometry of the surface used, pixelsin the discrete images 35 must be repositioned relative to one anotherin order to produce a two-dimensional pixel-map of the panoramic image41. For example, if the discrete images 35 are mapped onto a cylinder 37to produce the panoramic image 41, then horizontal lines in the discreteimages 35 will become curved when mapped onto the cylinder 37 with thedegree of curvature being determined by latitude of the horizontal linesabove the cylindrical equator. Thus, stitching the discrete images 35together to generate a panoramic image 41 typically involvesmathematical transformation of pixels to produce a panoramic image 41that can be rendered without distortion.

FIG. 3 illustrates the use of the VR camera 12 to generate a compositeimage of a surface 55 that is too detailed to be adequately representedin a single photograph. Examples of such surfaces include a white-boardhaving notes on it, a painting, an inscribed monument (e.g., the VietNam War Memorial), and so forth.

As indicated in FIG. 3, multiple discrete images 57 of the surface 55are obtained by translating the VR camera 12 between a series ofpositions and capturing a portion of the surface 55 at each position.According to one embodiment of the present invention, the position ofthe VR camera 12 is obtained from the position sensing portion of theO/P sensor (element 21 of FIG. 1) and recorded for each discrete image57. This allows the spatial relationship between the discrete images 57to be determined no matter the order in which the images 57 areobtained. Consequently, the VR camera is able to generate an accuratecomposite image 59 of the complete surface 55 regardless of the order inwhich the discrete images 57 are captured. In the case of a still imagecamera, the position sensor can be used to signal the user when the VRcamera 12 has been sufficiently translated to take a new photograph.Alternatively, the VR camera may be user-configured to automaticallysnap photographs as the VR camera 12 is swept across the surface 55. Inthe case of a video camera, the position sensor can be used to controlwhen each new video frame is generated, or video frames may be generatedat the standard rate and then blended or discarded based on positioninformation associated with each.

After two or more of the discrete images 57 have been stored in thememory of the VR camera 12, program code can be executed to combine theimages into a composite image 59 based on the position informationrecorded for each discrete image 57, or based on common features inoverlapping regions of the discrete images 57, or both. After thediscrete images 57 have been combined into a composite image 59, theuser may view different portions of the composite image 59 on the VRcamera's display by changing the orientation of the VR camera 12 or byusing controls on a user input panel. By zooming in at a selectedportion of the image, text on a white-board, artwork detail,inscriptions on a monument, etc. may be easily viewed. Thus, the VRcamera 12 provides a simple and powerful way to digitize and render highresolution surfaces with a lower resolution camera. Composite images ofsuch surfaces are referred to herein as “planar composite images”, todistinguish them from panoramic images.

FIG. 4 illustrates yet another application of the VR camera. In thiscase the VR camera is used to combine images into an object image 67. Anobject image is a set of discrete images that are spatially related toone another, but which have not been stitched together to form acomposite image. The combination of images into an object image isaccomplished by providing information indicating the location of thediscrete images relative to one another and not by creating a separatecomposite image.

As shown in FIG. 4, images of an object 61 are captured from surroundingpoints of view 63. Though not shown in the plan view of the object 61,the VR camera may also be moved over or under the object 61, or may beraised or tilted to capture images of the object 61 at differentheights. For example, the first floor of a multiple-story building couldbe captured in one sequence of video frames (or photographs), the secondfloor in a second sequence of video frames, and so forth. If the VRcamera is maintained at an approximately fixed distance from the object61, the orientation of the VR camera alone may be recorded to establishthe spatial relationship between the discrete images 65. If the objectis filmed (or photographed) from positions that are not equidistant tothe object 61, it may be necessary to record both the position andorientation of the VR camera for each discrete image 65 in order toproduce a coherent objec image 67.

After two or more discrete images 65 of object 61 have been obtained,they can be combined based upon the spatial relationship between them toform an object image 67. As stated above, combining the discrete images65 to form an object image 67 typically does not involve stitching thediscrete images 65 and is instead accomplished by associating with eachof the discrete images 65 information that indicates the image's spatiallocation in the object image 67 relative to other images in the objectimage 67. This can be accomplished, for example, by generating a datastructure having one member for each discrete image 65 and whichindicates neighboring images and their angular or positional proximity.Once the object image 67 is created, the user can pan through the images65 by changing the orientation of the camera. Incremental changes inorientation can be used to select an image in the object image 67 thatneighbors a previously displayed image. To the user, rendering of theobject image 67 in this manner provides a sense of moving around, overand under the object of interest.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the relativespatial location of each image in the object image 67 an object image isprovided by creating a data structure containing the camera orientationinformation recorded for each discrete image 65. To select a particularimage in the object image 67, the user orients the VR camera in thedirection that was used to capture the image. The VR camera's processordetects the orientation via the orientation sensor, and then searchesthe data structure to identify the discrete image 65 having a recordedorientation most nearly matching the input orientation. The identifiedimage 65 is then displayed on the VR camera's display.

FIG. 5 depicts a VR camera 12 that is equipped with a number of controlbuttons that are included in user input panels 23a and 23b. The buttonsprovided in user-input panel 23a vary depending on whether VR camera 12is a video camera or a still-image camera. For example, in a still-imagecamera, panel 23a may include shutter speed and aperture controlbuttons, among others, to manage the quality of the photographed image.In a video camera, user input panel 23a may include, for example, zoomand focus control. User input panel 23a may also include mode controlbuttons to allow a user to select certain modes and options associatedwith creating and rendering virtual reality images. In one embodiment,for example, mode control buttons may be used to select a panoramicimage capture mode, planar composite image capture mode or object imagecapture mode. Generally, any feature of the VR camera that can beselected, enabled or disabled may be controlled using the mode controlbuttons.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, view controlbuttons Right/Left, Up/Down and Zoom are provided in user input panel23b to allow the user to select which portion of a panoramic image,planar composite image, object image or other multiple-view image ispresented on display 27. When the user presses the Right button, forexample, view control logic in the camera detects the input and causesthe displayed view of a composite image or object image to pan right.When the user presses the Zoom+button, the view control logic causes thedisplayed image to be magnified. The view control logic may beimplemented by a programmed processor (e.g., element 19 of FIG. 1), orby dedicated hardware. In one embodiment of the present invention, theview control logic will respond either to user input via panel 23b or tochanges in camera orientation. Alternatively, the camera may beconfigured such that in one mode, view control is achieved by changingthe VR camera orientation, and in another mode, view control is achievedvia the user input panel 23b. In both cases, the user is provided withalternate ways to select a view of a multiple-view image.

FIG. 6 illustrates yet another application of the VR camera 12 of thepresent invention. In this application, a video signal captured via theIAU (element 17 of FIG. 1) a is superimposed on a previously recordedscene using a chroma-key color replacement technique. For example, anindividual 83 standing in front of a blue background 82 may be recordedusing the VR camera 12 to generate a live video signal. Program code inthe VR camera 12 may then be executed to implement an overlay functionthat replaces pixels in a displayed scene with non-blue pixels from thelive video. The effect is to place the subject 83 of the live video inthe previously generated scene. According to one embodiment of thepresent invention, the user may pan about a panoramic image on display27 to locate a portion of the image into which the live video is to beinserted, then snap the overlaid subject of the video image into thescene. In effect, the later received image is made part of the earlierrecorded panoramic image (or other multiple-view image) and the combinedimages can be permanently stored as a single recorded video or stillimage.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a VR camera 112 that is used to receive andprocess stereo images. As shown, the optic 115 includes both left andright channels (108, 107) for receiving respective left and rightimages. Typically the left and right images are of the same subject butfrom spatially differentiated viewpoints. This way a 3D view of thesubject is captured. According to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the left and right images 108 and 107 are projected ontoopposing halves of an image sensor in the IAU 117 where they are sampledby the processor 19 and stored in memory 25. Alternatively, multipleimage sensors and associated sampling circuitry may be provided in theIAU 117. In either case, the left and right images are associated withorientation/position information obtained from the O/P sensor 21 in themanner described above, and stored in the memory 25. After two or morediscrete images have been obtained, the processor may execute programcode in the non-volatile code storage 24 to combine the left images intoa left composite image and the right images into a right compositeimage. In an object image application, the processor combines the rightand left images into respective right and left object images.

As shown in FIG. 7, a stereo display 127 is provided to allow a 3D viewof a scene to be displayed. For example, a polarized LCD display thatrelies on the different viewing angles of the left and right eyes of anobserver may be used. The different viewing angles of the observer'sleft and right eyes causes different images to be perceived by the leftand right eyes. Consequently, based on an orientation/position of thecamera, or a view select input from the user, a selected portion of theleft composite image (or object image) is presented to the left eye anda selected portion of the right composite image (or object image) ispresented to the right eye.

As with the VR camera 12 described above, live stereo video received inthe IAU 117 of the stereo VR camera 112 may be overlaid on a previouslygenerated composite image or object image. The left and right videocomponents of the live stereo video may be superimposed over the leftand right composite or object images, respectively. Consequently, theuser may view live video subjects in 3D as though they were present inthe previously recorded 3D scene. A stereo photograph may also beoverlaid on an earlier recorded composite image or object image.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a method according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. At step 141, a set of discrete images are received inthe camera. The images are digitized at step 143. Based upon a spatialrelationship between the digitized images, the digitized images arecombined to produce a multiple-view image at step 143. Then, at step145, at least a portion of the multiple-view image is displayed on adisplay of the camera.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description of the presentinvention that the steps of receiving (141), digitizing (143) andcombining (145) may be performed on an image by image basis so that eachimage is received, digitized and combined with one or more previouslyreceived and digitized images before a next image is received anddigitized.

A method of generating of a multiple-view image on a discrete image bydiscrete image basis shown in FIG. 9. At step 151, a discrete image_(i)is received, where i ranges from 0 to N. At step 153, image, isdigitized, and i is incremented at step 157. If i is determined to beless than or equal to one at step 159, execution loops back to step 151to receive the next discrete image_(i). If i is greater than one, thenat step 161 digitized image_(i) is combined with one or more previouslydigitized images based on a spatial relationship between the digitizedimage_(i) and the one or more previously digitized images to produce amultiple-view image. If it is determined that a final image has beenreceived and digitized, (arbitrarily shown as N in step 163) the methodis exited. It will be appreciated that the determination as to whether afinal image has been received may be made in a number of ways,including: detecting that a predetermined number of images have beenreceived, digitized and combined; or receiving a signal from the user oran internally generated signal indicating that a desired or thresholdnumber of images have been received, digitized and combined into themultiple-view image. Also, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the user may select a portion of the multiple-view image forviewing any time after an initial combining step 159 has been performed.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made theretowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are,accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

1. A hand-held camera comprising: a camera housing; a camera lensmounted on said camera housing; image acquisition circuitry locatedwithin said camera housing for acquiring images of fields of view viasaid camera lens at various orientations of said camera housing; atleast one user input panel for receiving a user request to select apanoramic or non-panoramic image capture mode; and image processingcircuitry located within said camera housing; responsive to thepanoramic image capture mode selection, for at least partially combiningeach successively acquired image of a field of a view with previouslyacquired images of fields of view, on an image by image basis in realtime, by determining spatial relationships between the images of fieldsof view, and by mapping the images of fields of view onto regions of acylindrical surface, based on the spatial relationships.
 2. Thehand-held camera of claim 1 wherein said image processing circuitrydetermines spatial relationships between the images based on at leastone feature in images that at least partially overlap.
 3. The hand-heldcamera of claim 1 wherein said image processing circuitry determinesspatial relationships between the images based on cross-correlations ofimages that at least partially overlap.
 4. The hand-held camera of claim1 wherein said image processing circuitry determines spatialrelationships between the images based on the orientations of saidcamera housing during image acquisition.
 5. The hand-held cameral cameraof claim 4 further comprising a sensor for detecting the orientations ofsaid camera housing.
 6. The hand-held camera of claim 5 wherein saidimage acquisition circuitry uses orientation information from saidsensor to automatically determine fields of view for which to acquireimages thereof.
 7. The hand-held camera of claim 1 wherein the camera isa video camera and wherein sampling logic digitizes the images at apredetermined rate.
 8. A hand-held camera comprising: a camera housing;a camera lens mounted on said camera housing; a display mounted on saidcamera housing; image acquisition circuitry located within said cameralcamera housing for acquiring images of fields of view via said cameralens at various orientations of said camera housing; image processingcircuitry located within said camera housing for at least partiallycombining each successively acquired image of a field of view withpreviously acquired images of fields of view, on an image by image basisin real time, by determining spatial relationships between the images offields of view, and by mapping the images of fields of view onto regionsof a cylindrical surface, based on spatial relationships; at least oneuser input panel to select a panoramic or non-panoramic image view mode,and to receive a user request to display a spatial region of thecylindrical panoramic image on said display; and view control circuitry,located within said camera housing and responsive to the panoramic imageview mode, to display a spatial region of the cylindrical panoramicimage on said display, wherein said view control circuitry selects thespatial region of the cylindrical panoramic image based upon the userrequest.
 9. The hand-held camera of claim 8 wherein said view controlcircuitry selects the spatial region of the cylindrical panoramic imageto be displayed on said display based upon an orientation of saidhousing.
 10. The hand-held camera of claim 9 further comprising a sensorfor detecting the orientation of said camera housing.
 11. The hand-heldcamera of claim 8 further comprising a sensor for detecting theorientation of said camera housing.
 12. The hand-held camera of claim 8wherein said user input panel receives user requests to pan about apanoramic image.
 13. The hand-held camera of claim 12 wherein said userinput panel comprises left, right, up and down buttons.
 14. Thehand-held camera of claim 12 further comprising a sensor for detectingthe orientation of said camera housing.
 15. The hand-held camera ofclaim 8 wherein said user input panel receives user requests to zoom inand out of a panoramic image.
 16. The hand-held camera of claim 15wherein said user input panel comprises zoom in and zoom out buttons.17. The hand-held camera of claim 15 further comprising a sensor fordetecting the orientation of said camera housing.
 18. A method forproviding cylindrical panoramic images comprising: selecting a panoramicor non-panoramic image capture mode; acquiring images of fields of viewat various orientations of a camera; and when the panoramic imagecapture mode is selected, at least partially combining each successivelyacquired image of a field of view with previously acquired images offields of view, on an image by image basis in real time, comprising:determining spatial relationships between the image of fields of view;and mapping the images of fields of view onto regions of a cylindricalsurface, based on the spatial relationships.
 19. The method of claim 18wherein said determining is based on at least one feature in images thatat least partially overlap.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein saiddetermining is based on cross-correlations of images that at leastpartially overlap.
 21. The method of claim 18 wherein said determiningis based on the orientations of the cameral camera during imageacquisitions.
 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising detectingthe orientation of said camera housing.
 23. The method of claim 22further comprising automatically determining fields of view for which toacquire images thereof, based on detected orientation information.
 24. Amethod for providing cylindrical panoramic images comprising: acquiringimages of fields of view at various orientations of a camera; at leastpartially combining each successively acquired image of a fields of viewwith previously acquired images of fields of view, on an image by imagebasis in real time, comprising: determining spatial relationshipsbetween the images of fields of view; and mapping the images of fieldsof view onto regions of a cylindrical surface, based on the spatialrelationships; selecting a panoramic or non-panoramic image view mode;when the panoramic image view mode is selected, receiving a user requestto display a spatial region of a cylindrical panoramic image; anddisplaying the spatial region of the cylindrical panoramic image. 25.The method of claim 24 further comprising selecting the spatial regionof the cylindrical panoramic image to be displayed based upon anorientation of the camera.
 26. The method of claim 25 further comprisingdetecting the orientation of said camera housing.
 27. A hand-held cameracomprising: a camera housing; a camera lens mounted on said camerahousing; image acquisition circuitry located within said camera housingfor acquiring images of fields of view via said camera lens at variousorientations of said camera housing; at least one user input panel forreceiving a user request to select a panoramic or non-panoramic imagecapture mode; and image processing circuitry located within said camerahousing, responsive to the panoramic image capture mode selection, forat least partially combining each successively acquired image of a fieldof view with previously acquired images of fields of view, on an imageby image basis in real time, by determining spatial relationshipsbetween the images of fields of view, and by mapping the images offields of view onto regions of a spherical surface, based on the spatialrelationships.
 28. The hand-held camera of claim 27 herein wherein thecamera is a video camera and wherein sampling logic digitizes the imagesat a predetermined rate.
 29. A hand-held camera comprising: a careencamera housing; a camera lens mounted on said camera housing; imageacquisition circuitry located within said camera housing for acquiringimages of fields of view via said camera lens at various orientations ofsaid camera housing; at least one user input panel for receiving a userrequest to select a panoramic or non-panoramic image capture mode; andimage processing circuitry located within said camera housing,responsive to the panoramic image capture mode selection, for at leastpartially combining each successively acquired images of a field of viewwith previously acquired images of fields of view, on an image by imagebasis in real time, by mapping the images of fields of view onto regionsof a cylindrical surface, based on spatial relationships between theimages of fields of view.
 30. The hand-held camera of claim 29 whereinthe camera is a video camera and wherein sampling logic digitizes theimages at a predetermined rate.
 31. A hand-held camera comprising: acamera housing; a camera lens mounted on said camera housing; imageacquisition circuitry located within said camera housing for acquiringimages of fields of view via said camera lens at various orientations ofsaid camera housing; at least one user input panel for receiving a userrequest to select a panoramic or non-panoramic image capture mode; andimage processing circuitry located within said camera housing,responsive to the panoramic image capture mode selection, for at leastpartially combining each successively acquired image of a field of viewwith previously acquired images of fields of view, on an image by imagebasis in real time, by napping mapping the images of fields of view ontoregions of a spherical surface, based on spatial relationships betweenthe images of fields of view.
 32. The hand-held camera of claim 31wherein the camera is a video camera and wherein sampling logicdigitizes the images at a predetermined rate.
 33. A method for providingspherical panoramic images comprising: selecting a panoramic ornon-panoramic image capture mode; acquiring images of fields of view atvarious orientations of a camera; and when the panoramic image capturemode is selected, at least partially combining each successivelyacquired image of a field of view with previously acquired images offields of view, on an image by image basis in real time, comprising:determining spatial relationships between the images of fields of view;and mapping the images of fields of view onto regions of a sphericalsurface, based on the spatial relationships.
 34. A method for providingcylindrical panoramic images comprising: selecting a panoramic ornon-panoramic image capture mode; acquiring images of fields of view atvarious orientations of a camera; and when the panoramic image capturemode is selected, at least partially combining each successivelyacquired image of a field of view with previously acquired images offields of view, on an image by image basis in real time, comprisingmapping the images of fields of view onto regions of a cylindricalsurface, based on spatial relationships between the images of fields ofview.
 35. A method for providing spherical panoramic images comprising:selecting a panoramic or non-panoramic image capture mode; acquiringimages of fields of view at various orientations of a camera; and whenthe panoramic image capture mode is selected, at least partiallycombining each successively acquired image of a field of view withpreviously acquired image of fields of view, on an image by image basisin real time, comprising mapping the images of fields of view ontoregions of a spherical surface, based on spatial relationships betweenthe images of fields of view.
 36. A camera comprising a housing; a lensmounted on said housing; image acquisition circuitry located within saidhousing for acquiring images of fields of view via said lens at variousorientations of said housing; at least one input panel for receiving arequest to select a panoramic or non-panoramic image capture mode; andimage processing circuitry located within said housing and responsive tothe panoramic image capture mode selection, for at least partiallycombining each successively acquired image of a field of a view withpreviously acquired images of fields of view, on an image-by-image basisin real time, by determining spatial relationships between the images offields of view, and by mapping the images of fields of view onto regionsof a smooth surface, based on the spatial relationships.
 37. A camera,comprising: a housing; a lens mounted on the housing; image acquisitioncircuitry located within the housing for acquiring images of fields ofview via the lens at various orientations of the housing; at least oneinput panel for receiving a selection of a panoramic or a non-panoramicimage capture mode; and image processing circuitry located within thehousing, responsive to the panoramic image capture mode selection for atleast partially combining each successively acquired image of a field ofa view with at least one previously acquired image of a field of view onan image-by-image basis in real time based at least in part on at leastone spatial relationship between the images of fields of view, bymapping the images of fields of view onto regions of a surface based atleast in part on at least one spatial relationship.
 38. A cameraaccording to claim 37, wherein the image processing circuitry is capableof determining at least one spatial relationship between the imagesbased at least partially on at least one feature in the images that atleast partially overlap.
 39. The camera according to claim 37, whereinthe image processing circuitry is capable of determining at least onespatial relationship between the images based at least partially on across-correlation of images that at least partially overlap.
 40. Thecamera according to claim 37, wherein the image processing circuitry iscapable of determining at least one spatial relationship between theimages based at least partially on an orientation of the housing duringimage acquisition.
 41. The camera according to claim 40, furthercomprising a sensor capable of detecting an orientation of the housing.42. The camera according to claim 41, wherein the sensor is capable ofdetecting at least one of a pitch, yaw and roll orientation of thehousing based at least in part on a fixed reference.
 43. The cameraaccording to claim 41, wherein the sensor is capable of detecting anorientation of the housing based at least in part on a gravitationalfield of the earth.
 44. The camera according to claim 41, wherein thesensor is capable of detecting an orientation of the housing based atleast in part on a magnetic field of the earth.
 45. The camera accordingto claim 41, wherein the sensor is capable of generating orientationinformation corresponding to a detected orientation of the housing, andwherein the image acquisition circuitry is capable of using orientationinformation to automatically determine fields of view for which toacquire images thereof.
 46. The camera according to claim 37, whereinthe camera comprises a video camera, and wherein the camera comprisessampling logic capable of digitizing the images.
 47. A camera,comprising: a housing; a lens mounted on the housing; a display mountedon the housing; image acquisition circuitry located within the housingcapable of successively acquiring images of fields of view via the lensat various orientations of the camera housing; image processingcircuitry located within the housing capable of at least partiallycombining each successively acquired image of a field of view with apreviously acquired image of a field of view on an image-by-image basisin real time based at least in part on at least one spatial relationshipbetween the images of fields of view by mapping the images of fields ofview onto regions of a surface to form a panoramic image based at leastin part on spatial relationships; at least one input panel capable ofreceiving a panoramic-image view mode selection, and capable ofreceiving a request to display a selected spatial region of thepanoramic image on the display; and view-control circuitry, locatedwithin the housing, capable of displaying the selected spatial region ofthe panoramic image on the display in response to the panoramic-imageview mode selection.
 48. The camera according to claim 47, wherein theview control circuitry is capable of enabling a selection of the spatialregion of the panoramic image to be displayed on the display based atleast in part on an orientation of the housing.
 49. The camera accordingto claim 48, wherein the input panel is capable of receiving a requestto pan about a panoramic image.
 50. The camera according to claim 49,wherein the input panel comprises left, right, up and down buttons. 51.The camera according to claim 49, wherein the input panel is capable ofreceiving requests to zoom in and out of a panoramic image.
 52. Thecamera according to claim 51, wherein the input panel comprises zoom inand zoom out buttons.
 53. The camera according to claim 47, furthercomprising a sensor capable of detecting an orientation of the housing.54. The camera according to claim 53, wherein the sensor is capable ofdetecting at least one of a pitch, yaw and roll orientation of thehousing based at least in part on a fixed reference.
 55. The cameraaccording to claim 53, wherein the sensor is capable of detecting theorientation of the housing based at least in part on a gravitationalfield of the earth.
 56. The camera according to claim 53, wherein thesensor is capable of detecting the orientation of the housing based atleast in part on a magnetic field of the earth.
 57. The camera accordingto claim 53, wherein the sensor is capable of generating orientationinformation corresponding to detected orientations of the housing, andwherein the image acquisition circuitry is capable of using theorientation information to automatically determine fields of view forwhich to acquire images thereof.
 58. A camera, comprising: a housing; alens mounted on the housing; image acquisition circuitry located withinthe housing capable of acquiring images of fields of view via the lensat various orientations of the camera housing; at least one input panelcapable of receiving a panoramic-image capture mode selection; and imageprocessing circuitry located within the housing, responsive to thepanoramic-image capture mode selection, capable of at least partiallycombining each successively acquired image of a field of view with apreviously acquired image of a field of view on an image-by-image basisin real time by determining at least one spatial relationship betweenthe images of fields of view, and by mapping the images of fields ofview onto regions of a smooth surface based at least in part on at leastone spatial relationship.
 59. The camera of claim 58, wherein the cameracomprises a video camera, and wherein the camera further comprisessampling logic capable of digitizing the images.
 60. A camera,comprising: a housing; a lens mounted on housing; image acquisitioncircuitry located within the housing capable of acquiring images offields of view via the lens at various orientations of the housing; atleast one input panel capable of receiving a panoramic-image capturemode selection; and image processing circuitry located within thehousing, responsive to the panoramic-image capture mode selection,capable of at least partially combining each successively acquired imageof a field of view with a previously acquired image of a field of viewon an image-by-image basis in real time by mapping the images of fieldsof view onto regions of a surface based at least in part on at least onespatial relationship between the images of fields of view.
 61. Thecamera of claim 60, wherein the camera comprises a video camera, andwherein the camera further comprises sampling logic capable ofdigitizing the images.
 62. A camera, comprising: a camera housing; acamera lens mounted on the housing; image acquisition circuitry locatedwithin the camera housing for acquiring images of fields of view via thecamera lens at various orientations of the camera housing; at least oneinput panel capable of receiving a panoramic-image capture modeselection; and image processing circuitry located within the camerahousing, responsive to the panoramic-image capture mode selectioncapable of at least partially combining each successively acquired imageof a field of view with a previously acquired image of a field of viewon an image-by-image basis in real time by mapping the images of fieldsof view onto regions of a surface based at least in part on at least onespatial relationship between the images of fields of view.
 63. Thecamera of claim 62, wherein the camera comprises a video camera, andwherein the camera further comprises sampling logic capable ofdigitizing the images.
 64. A camera, comprising: a housing; a lensmounted on the housing; means for acquiring images of fields of view viathe lens at various orientations of the housing, the means for acquiringthe image being located within the housing; means for receiving aselection of a panoramic or a non-panoramic image capture mode; andmeans for processing images located within the housing, the means forprocessing images responsive to the panoramic image capture modeselection for at least partially combining each successively acquiredimage of a field of a view with at least one previously acquired imageof a field of view on an image-by-image basis in real time based atleast in part on at least one spatial relationship between the images offields of view, and for mapping the images of fields of view ontoregions of a surface based at least in part on at least one spatialrelationship.
 65. A camera according to claim 64, wherein the means forprocessing images is capable of determining at least one spatialrelationship between the images based at least partially on at least onefeature in the images that at least partially overlap.
 66. The cameraaccording to claim 64, wherein the means for processing images iscapable of determining at least one spatial relationship between theimages based at least partially on a cross-correlation of images that atleast partially overlap.
 67. The camera according to claim 64, whereinthe means for processing images is capable of determining at least onespatial relationship between the images based at least partially on anorientation of the housing during image acquisition.
 68. The cameraaccording to claim 67, further comprising means for detecting anorientation of the housing.
 69. The camera according to claim 68,wherein the means for detecting is further capable of detecting at leastone of a pitch, yaw and roll orientation of the housing based at leastin part on a fixed reference.
 70. The camera according to claim 68,wherein the means for detecting is further capable of detecting anorientation of the housing based at least in part on a gravitationalfield of the earth.
 71. The camera according to claim 68, wherein themeans for detecting is further capable of detecting an orientation ofthe housing based at least in part on a magnetic field of the earth. 72.The camera according to claim 68, wherein the means for detecting isfurther capable of generating orientation information corresponding to adetected orientation of the housing, and wherein the means forprocessing images is further capable of using orientation information toautomatically determine fields of view for which to acquire imagesthereof.
 73. The camera according to claim 64, wherein the cameracomprises a video camera, and wherein the camera comprises means fordigitizing the images.
 74. A camera, comprising: a housing; a lensmounted on the housing; a display mounted on the housing; means foracquiring images of fields of view via the lens at various orientationsof the housing, the means for acquiring images being located within thehousing and being capable of successively acquiring images; imageprocessing circuitry located within the housing capable of at leastpartially combining each successively acquired image of a field of viewwith a previously acquired image of a field of view on an image-by-imagebasis in real time based at least in part on at least one spatialrelationship between the images of fields of view by mapping the imagesof fields of view onto regions of a surface to form a panoramic imagebased at least in part on spatial relationships; means for receiving apanoramic-image view mode selection, and capable of receiving a requestto display a selected spatial region of the panoramic image on thedisplay; and means for controlling a display, located within thehousing, by displaying the selected spatial region of the panoramicimage on the display in response to the panoramic-image view modeselection.
 75. The camera according to claim 74, wherein the means forcontrolling a display is further capable of enabling a selection of thespatial region of the panoramic image to be displayed on the displaybased at least in part on an orientation of the housing.
 76. The cameraaccording to claim 75, wherein the means for receiving a panoramic-imageview mode selection is further capable of receiving a request to panabout a panoramic image.
 77. The camera according to claim 76, whereinthe means for receiving a panoramic-image view mode selection comprisesleft, right, up and down buttons.
 78. The camera according to claim 76,wherein the means for receiving a panoramic-image view mode selection isfurther capable of receiving requests to zoom in and out of a panoramicimage.
 79. The camera according to claim 78, wherein the means forreceiving a panoramic-image view mode selection comprises zoom in andzoom out buttons.
 80. The camera according to claim 74, furthercomprising means for detecting an orientation of the housing.
 81. Thecamera according to claim 80, wherein the means for detecting anorientation is further capable of detecting at least one of a pitch, yawand roll orientation of the housing based at least in part on a fixedreference.
 82. The camera according to claim 80, wherein the means fordetecting an orientation is further capable of detecting the orientationof the housing based at least in part on a gravitational field of theearth.
 83. The camera according to claim 80, wherein the means fordetecting an orientation is further capable of detecting the orientationof the housing based at least in part on a magnetic field of the earth.84. The camera according to claim 80, wherein the means for detecting anorientation is further capable of generating orientation informationcorresponding to detected orientations of the housing, and wherein themeans for acquiring images of fields of view is further capable of usingthe orientation information to automatically determine fields of viewfor which to acquire images thereof.
 85. A camera, comprising: means foracquiring images of fields of view at various orientations of a camera;means for at least partially combining each successively acquired imageof fields of view with a previously acquired image of a field of view onan image-by-image basis in real time, comprising: means for determiningat least one spatial relationship between the images of fields of view;and means for mapping the images of fields of view onto regions of asmooth surface based at least in part on at least one spatialrelationship; means for receiving a request to display a selectedspatial region of a panoramic image; and means for displaying theselected spatial region of the panoramic image.
 86. The camera of claim85, wherein the means for displaying comprises means for displaying theselected spatial region of the panoramic image based at least in part onan orientation of the camera.
 87. The camera of claim 86, furthercomprising means for detecting an orientation of the camera.
 88. Acamera, comprising: a housing; a lens mounted on the housing; means foracquiring images of fields of view via the lens at various orientationsof the camera housing, the means for acquiring being located within thehousing; means for receiving a panoramic-image capture mode selection;and means for processing images located within the housing, the meansfor processing images being responsive to the panoramic-image capturemode selection, being capable of at least partially combining eachsuccessively acquired image of a field of view with a previouslyacquired image of a field of view on an image-by-image basis in realtime by determining at least one spatial relationship between the imagesof fields of view, and for mapping the images of fields of view ontoregions of a smooth surface based at least in part on at least onespatial relationship.
 89. The camera of claim 88, wherein the cameracomprises a video camera, and wherein the camera further comprises meansfor digitizing the images.
 90. A camera, comprising: a housing; a lensmounted on housing; means for acquiring images of fields of view via thelens at various orientations of the housing, the means for acquiringbeing located within the housing; means for receiving a panoramic-imagecapture mode selection; and means for processing images located withinthe housing, the means for processing images being responsive to thepanoramic-image capture mode selection and being capable of at leastpartially combining each successively acquired image of a field of viewwith a previously acquired image of field of view on an image-by-imagebasis in real time by mapping the images of fields of view onto regionsof a surface based at least in part on at least one spatial relationshipbetween the images of fields of view.
 91. The camera of claim 90,wherein the camera comprises a video camera, and wherein the camerafurther comprises means for digitizing the images.
 92. A camera,comprising: a camera housing; a camera lens mounted on the housing;means for acquiring images of fields of view via the camera lens atvarious orientations of the camera housing, the means for acquiringimages being located within the camera housing; means for receiving apanoramic-image capture mode selection; and means for processing imageslocated within the camera housing, the means for processing images beingresponsive to the panoramic-image capture mode selection and beingcapable of at least partially combining each successively acquired imageof a field of view with a previously acquired field of view on animage-by-image basis in real time by mapping the images of fields ofview onto regions of a surface based at least in part on at least onespatial relationship between the images of fields of view.
 93. Thecamera of claim 92, wherein the camera comprises a video camera, andwherein the camera further comprises means for digitizing the images.94. A camera comprising: a camera housing; a camera lens mounted on saidhousing; image acquisition circuitry located within said camera housingto acquire images via said camera lens at at least two orientations ofsaid camera housing; means for selecting a panoramic image capture mode;image processing circuitry located within said camera housing,responsive to the selection of the panoramic image capture mode, to atleast partially combine at least one successively acquired image with atleast one previously acquired image by mapping the images onto regionsof a cylindrical surface wherein the mapping is based, at least in part,on one or more spatial relationships between the images as determined onan image-by-image basis in real time; and a sensing element adapted todetermine when a next image in said panoramic image capture mode is tobe acquired based in response to detection of at least an orientation ofsaid camera.
 95. The camera of claim 94, wherein said orientation of thecamera includes at least one orientation selected from the groupconsisting of a pitch, roll and yaw, all of said camera.
 96. The cameraof claim 94, wherein said sensing element includes means for generatinga signal to indicate that said next image is to be acquired.
 97. Thecamera of claim 96, wherein said signal includes at least one of anaudio signal or a visible signal.
 98. The camera of claim 94 whereinsaid sensing element determining is further adapted to determine whensaid next image is to be acquired based at least in part on an angle ofview of the camera and a distance between the camera and a subject insuccessive images.
 99. The camera of claim 94, further including meansfor collecting image information for each acquired image and forassociating said image information for each acquired image with thatimage, said image information including a spatial location of anacquired image at least relative to spatial locations of other acquiredimages.
 100. The camera of claim 99, wherein the collecting means isfurther adapted to generate a data structure associated with acquiredimages of a panorama, the data structure including a data member foreach acquired image in the panorama, and each data member identifying atleast one neighboring image to the acquired image represented by thedata member and said data member including information representingcamera orientation.
 101. The camera of claim 100, wherein the datamember further includes a spatial location of said image in saidpanorama relative to other images acquired for said panorama.
 102. Thecamera of claim 101, wherein said spatial location of said image isrepresented by at least an angular and positional proximity to at leastone of said other acquired images.
 103. A method for providingcylindrical panoramic images comprising: sensing selection of apanoramic image capture mode; acquiring images at various orientationsof a camera; responsive to said selection of said panoramic imagecapture mode, at least partially combining at least one successivelyacquired image with one or more previously acquired images, on animage-by-image basis in real time, comprising: determining spatialrelationships between the images; and mapping the images onto regions ofa cylindrical surface, based on the spatial relationships; and sensingan orientation of said camera to determine when a next image in saidpanoramic image capture mode is to be acquired based at least in part ona camera orientation.
 104. The method of claim 103, wherein saidorientation of the camera includes at least one orientation selectedfrom the group consisting of a pitch, roll and yaw, all of said camera.105. The method of claim 103, further comprising generating a signal toindicate that said next image is to be acquired.
 106. The method ofclaim 105, wherein said signal includes at least one of an audio signalor a visible signal.
 107. The method of claim 103 wherein said sensingto determine is further based at least in part on an angle of view ofthe camera and a distance between the camera and a subject in successiveimages.
 108. The method of claim 103, further comprising collectingimage information for each acquired image, and associating said imageinformation for each acquired image with that image, said imageinformation including a spatial location of an acquired image at leastrelative to spatial locations of other acquired images.
 109. The methodof claim 108, further comprising generating a data structure associatedwith acquired images of a panorama, the data structure including a datamember for each acquired image in the panorama, and each data memberidentifying at least one neighboring image to the acquired imagerepresented by the data member and said data member includinginformation representing camera orientation.
 110. The method of claim108, wherein the data member further includes a spatial location of saidimage in said panorama relative to other images acquired for saidpanorama.
 111. The method of claim 110, wherein said spatial location ofsaid image is represented by at least an angular and positionalproximity to at least one of said other acquired images.